Two openings on Vann Drive this fall moved north Jackson's breakfast hours earlier and added Sunday service. Sarivong's Donuts opens at 5 a.m. every day, and First Watch serves sit-down breakfast from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., also every day. A coffee drive-thru on North Highland Avenue has an announced date of Friday, November 13. Together they cover the hours from before sunrise to early afternoon, seven days a week.
Each one opens at a different hour or serves a different kind of morning, and the hours decide where you end up.
The Morning by the Clock
Here is the north Jackson breakfast lineup in order of opening time, using hours each business has published or that local reporters printed this fall.
| Opens | Place | Address | Closes | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 a.m. daily | Sarivong's Donuts | 289 Vann Drive, Suite C | 2 p.m. | Donuts, coffee, boba, breakfast sandwiches |
| 6 a.m. Mon–Sat | Green Frog Coffee & Grill | 1410 Union University Drive | 8 p.m. | Dine-in, outdoor seating, pickup |
| 7 a.m. daily | First Watch | 1025 Vann Drive, The Columns | 2:30 p.m. | Sit-down breakfast, brunch, lunch |
| Announced for Nov. 13 | 7 Brew Coffee | 2050 N. Highland Ave. | n/a | Drive-through only |
| 10:30 a.m. Mon–Sat | Dumplins Bistro & Bakery | n/a | 6:30 p.m. | Lunch and bakery |
Read the rows top to bottom and the gap this fall closed shows up. Before Sarivong's, the earliest door on this list opened at 6 a.m., and it doesn't open on Sunday. Now two of the five places open every day, and both are on Vann Drive.
5 a.m. Starts at Suite C
The first light on in north Jackson most mornings is at 289 Vann Drive, Suite C. WBBJ's "What's New Wednesday" segment reported in mid-September that Sarivong's Donuts serves donuts, coffee, boba and breakfast sandwiches and is open every day from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The specialty case is where the shop sets itself apart. WBBJ listed Oreo cookie, strawberry shortcake, s'more, and maple bacon with maple butter among the flavors. Co-owner David Sarivong told the station the shop goes through roughly 200 pounds of dough every day.
His co-owner and wife, Melanie Sarivong, told WBBJ the idea came from her father. "My dad wanted to be in that business, but he couldn't," she said. "So, this was my dad's dream. And I'm pursuing it for him."
The shop held its ribbon cutting on Monday, October 19. WBBJ's coverage of the ceremony reported that David hadn't known a ribbon cutting was an option and answered, "Why not, it's our first business." The same report says the family donates to local schools, hospitals and other organizations, and draws a name each week to pick the school that gets a donation.
A 5 a.m. opening serves a particular kind of morning. It's early enough to pick up a box before a shift, a sunrise practice or an early drive, and boba on the menu means there's something for the people in the back seat who don't drink coffee yet.
At 7, The Columns Takes the Sit-Down Shift
Two hours after Sarivong's unlocks, the sit-down breakfast opens on the same road at 1025 Vann Drive. Talk-N West TN reported that Jackson's first First Watch would open Monday, September 21, in the former Red Robin building in The Columns after months of renovation.
The First Watch Jackson location page lists hours of 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day. Talk-N described the chain as a daytime café serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch, with Million Dollar Bacon and fresh juices among the menu staples.
The location page also has a "Get in line" option for joining the waitlist before you leave the house. On a Saturday or Sunday that can save you a wait in the lobby.
Those two Vann Drive addresses work as a pair. Sarivong's handles the grab-and-go early hours, and First Watch handles the long sit-down breakfast that runs into lunch. Because both open every day, Sunday breakfast in north Jackson has two options on one street.
Green Frog Covers the Weekday Middle, and Then Some
Green Frog Coffee & Grill is the established stop on Union University Drive. Its North Jackson page lists hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday, with dine-in, outdoor seating and pickup.
Those hours give it a different job from the two Vann Drive newcomers. Green Frog opens an hour before First Watch and stays open more than five hours after both Vann Drive spots close. On a weekday, it's the place where a morning coffee can run into an afternoon meeting or an early dinner. On Sunday it's closed, and that's the day the new Vann Drive pair fills.
Lunch is the next stop up the clock. Dumplins Bistro & Bakery, which calls itself a Jackson favorite since 1990, opens at 10:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Its menu runs to homemade rolls, salads, casseroles, desserts and custom specialty cakes, so it fits a late-morning cake order or a lunch, not a sunrise breakfast.
North Highland Adds a Drive-Through Lane
The newest addition sits on North Highland Avenue. It adds a format the rest of this list doesn't have, a car-only coffee stop.
The 7 Brew Coffee drive-through at 2050 North Highland Avenue went through two city approvals this year. Talk-N West TN reported in late August that the Jackson Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special exception for the drive-through on a 2–1 vote. The Jackson Municipal Regional Planning Commission then unanimously approved the preliminary site plan on September 2.
The plans call for a 510-square-foot, drive-through-only building with eight parking spaces, in the commercial strip next to Starbucks and across from Chick-fil-A. In late October the Jackson location announced a "drop date" of Friday, November 13.
With no seating and a building that size, the stop is built for one kind of trip, a cup through the window on the way somewhere else. That makes it the Highland Avenue version of the early run Sarivong's covers on Vann Drive.
On the same avenue, South Philly & Maine has been announced for 929 N. Highland Ave. Talk-N West TN reported in August that its owner plans to pair Philly cheesesteaks with Maine lobster rolls. That makes it a lunch addition to watch on the same corridor where the new drive-through coffee stop sits.
Two Mornings, Planned by the Clock
Here is how the hours line up on two kinds of mornings.
A weekday before work
- Pick up a dozen at Sarivong's Donuts, 289 Vann Drive, Suite C, any time after 5 a.m.
- If the meeting starts later, sit down with a coffee at Green Frog on Union University Drive from 6 a.m.
- For a client breakfast or a longer catch-up, First Watch at The Columns opens at 7 a.m. and serves until 2:30 p.m.
- For a cake order or lunch, Dumplins opens at 10:30 a.m.
A Sunday with guests in town
- Send an early riser to Sarivong's when it opens at 5 a.m. for maple bacon donuts and a boba for the kids.
- Join the First Watch waitlist from the location page before leaving home, then meet at 1025 Vann Drive.
- Green Frog is closed on Sunday and Dumplins lists Monday through Saturday hours, so the Vann Drive pair is your Sunday plan.
Amy McLemore spends her working days looking at how a home fits the routine around it: the morning drive, the quick stop on the way, the Sunday table when guests come. If you're wondering how a north Jackson address near Vann Drive or North Highland would fit your mornings, or what your current home near these streets is worth, Amy McLemore is glad to talk it through. Request a Free Home Valuation to get started.
